A lot has happened since last Thursday night's "call-in" of individuals responsible for a great deal of the open-air narcotics trafficking along 23rd Avenue in the Central District.
One of the "dealers" the police and local prosecutors offered a second chance to was arrested as the weekend began because he had returned to the street to sell drugs. The Seattle Times has that story here.
Some have suggested to me that this new approach amounts to nothing more than an admission of failure in our efforts to eliminate these open-air drug markets that cause such havoc in our neighborhoods or that we are being "soft on crime." Not true. The police have completed their investigations and the criminal charges are ready to file the moment the "candidate" returns to the street to sell drugs.
When pressed, those who complain about this experiment have nothing to fall back on except for more of the same strategies and tactics that we have been trying for years: arrest, prosecute, release, arrest, prosecute, release, and on and on. I'm very proud of Seattle police for their willingness to try something different, a new strategy that recognizes the value of every individual yet unleashes the power of the community to express its disdain for the damage being done by these individuals.
Here is The New Yorker piece on David Kennedy as a PDF. It is well worth the read.
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